The Lifeguard
by Drachesky
Summary: Grace wants a summer job, but Danny isn't too happy with her choice of occupation. Steve steps in to help out.
1. Chapter 1

"Who in their right mind would swim in a pool when there's over a hundred miles of coastline and beaches to choose from?" Steve demanded, pointing one end of his Longboard across the yard at the bright sand behind his house.

"For once, I agree with you," Danny concurred, "but it's Grace's first big job, and, like the supporting father I am, I have to be proud of her for signing up."

Steve gave him a strange look. "You ' _have to_ ' be proud of her? That's an odd way to say that you're happy she has a job." He took a quick drink from the bottle, pausing when a new thought entered his mind. "Or are you not?"

"No, I _am_ happy. It's just that…" Danny hesitated, swirling the dregs of the bottle. "Does it have to be _this_ job?"

Steve frowned. "You mean lifeguarding?" What's wrong with it? I did it one summer- it's a great job- yeah, you have to sit in the hot sun, but there's also the pool, and all the cute girls in their bikinis, and free shaved ice from the concession stand…" A brief grin flashed across his face at the memory.

"Excuse me," Danny objected loudly, " _my daughter_ is one of those girls in bikinis now!"

"And you think she _won't_ ogle all the guys while she's up in the lifeguard stand?"

"She better not," Danny growled. "She has a job to do. Or she will. Once I give my official, fatherly approval."

"Your 'little monkey' is growing up, Danno," Steve pointed out. "She's got a car, a job... you're lucky she's taken this long to get a steady boyfriend."

"Yeah, yeah, please don't remind me," Danny grumbled and lapsed into a grumpy silence. Steve grinned and leaned back in the chair, tipping the last of the beer into his mouth as he watched the sun drift quietly toward the horizon. There were only a few more weeks until the frenzied summer tourist season, which meant crowded beaches, crowded malls, crowded interstates, and a very grumpy governor. The months of June to August left them all exhausted and somewhat frazzled, and Steve was glad that his task force only handled the major cases and not the hundreds of pickpocketing, petty theft, and other miscellaneous calls that HPD would receive during that time. For now, he was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet of his own backyard, the sun setting over his beach, and the company of his best friend.

"The thing is," Danny began again, interrupting his thoughts, "why lifeguarding? Why not babysitting, or a cashier at the mall or, heck, Kamekona's shaved ice stand?"

"Why _not_ lifeguarding? Steve returned. "Are you worried she won't pass the certification course?"

"What? No. Oh, and she's planning on asking you to practice training with her, by the way," Danny said, tilting his bottle in Steve's direction. Seeing his partner puff up with ohana pride, Danny smirked. "Don't let it go to your head, partner. She may just need a warm body to play the victim. I don't want to be her practice dummy when she starts learning CPR."

"They don't use real people for CPR training, Danny."

"I know, I know…"

Steve looked sideways at his partner who was staring into the distance at the waves. "So why aren't you helping her practice? Or did she not ask you? I know you can swim well enough," he pushed, hoping to provoke a snarky response, but Danny only shrugged.

"It's just not my thing," he said.

Steve noticed he'd avoided answering the question. "Have you asked her why she wants to do this?"

"Yeah. I thought maybe there was boy from school or something, but no. She said something about watching us do stuff, and she wanted to do stuff, too."

" 'Stuff'? What kind of 'stuff'? We chase down bad guys and shoot things. She won't be doing any of that as a lifeguard."

"Oh, trust me, I know. I already asked about the curriculum at the Red Cross, and the lady told me there's nothing in the course on Hand Grenades or Rocket Launchers."

"But there _could_ be."

Danny glared at him. "Don't even go there, Steven," he warned. "My baby girl may like pineapples and surfing because of your nefarious influence, but you will not corrupt her into a little ninja on my watch!"

Steve shot him an impish grin. Danny rolled his eyes and drained the last of his beer. Kicking off his shoes, he propped his feet up and watched a cargo ship chug slowly across the fading horizon. Several minutes of quiet passed between them.

Steve broke the silence first. "Are you ok with Grace doing this?" he asked quietly. When Danny didn't reply, he thought perhaps his partner hadn't heard him, but when he looked at Danny's chair, he saw him gazing out over the ocean, forehead wrinkled in thought.

"Do you know how few safe places there are on this island, Steve? When she told me that she wanted a summer job- a _real_ job, she said- I started thinking about all the places where we've taken down criminals and busted drug rings, and it's a long list."

"You can't protect her forever, Danny."

"You don't have kids, Steve. And this is different from protecting her from bad grades or mean girls at school, or nasty boyfriends. Just last week we were at the mall dealing with that meth-addled kid who took hostages in the food court. Do you know how many girls Grace's age work there? A lot. And Grace could have been any one of them."

Steve wasn't sure what to say. He didn't have children of his own- Grace was as close as it came- and while he deeply adored his adopted niece, there were some deeply protective instincts that came naturally to Danny but which Steve didn't feel. He understood Danny's reasoning and sentiments but it wasn't with the same fierce intensity that he saw in his partner. "And you're afraid something will happen at the pool?"

Danny laughed, short and humorless. "With my luck, yes." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "But it's Rachel and Stan's country club, it's inside a gated community, and you need a key card to get in. And a pool is not one of the places where we've made any kind of major bust in the past several years."

"Uh huh." Steve adjusted his features into a serious expression. "If you're worried about her, I'm sure there's an opening at the St. Francis Convent…" He stopped when Danny punched him in the arm. "Ow!"

"You deserved that. Implying that I'm overly protective."

"I didn't say that!" Steve protested. He watched as Danny set his empty bottle on the deck and stood up, stretching. "Where are you going?" he asked as he slowly pushed himself out of the chair and he eyed his own empty bottle wistfully. He had hoped that Danny would stay long enough to drink another with him.

"Grace's study session ends at 9. She's got a slew of finals coming up, so she signed up for extra study sessions at the library. I never did that kind of crap until college, but apparently high school isn't what it used to be."

Steve collected the empty bottles from the deck and followed his partner into the kitchen. "But somehow she's got the time to take an intense training course for her lifeguard, CPR and AED certification?"

"What can I say? I've got an amazing daughter."

"Yes, you have," Steve agreed. "Tell her I'll be happy to train with her. She just needs to let me know when."

"Will do." Danny headed for the door, feeling somewhat better about things. Talking to his partner had that effect. " 'Night Steven," he called as he let himself out.

"Good night, Danny," he heard from somewhere inside the house.

Smiling to himself, the detective hopped in the car and went to pick up his daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- sorry, whumpers, no Danny whump in this one except for some brief flashbacks much later. Trying my hand at a more drama-ish story this time. Suggestions/advice welcome. I'm on my way to the pineapple-infested rock itself, so apologies if I can't update frequently for a few days.**

(in the car)

Danny took a few minutes to assess Grace's mood before breaching the topic of life guarding again. He could tell from her slow walk down the library steps that not all had gone as planned with the study group, and the feeling was further confirmed when she buckled up without a word and sat back in the seat with a dissatisfied hum.

"Tough class?" Danny guessed.

"Chemistry was fine, but biology is kicking my butt," she admitted. "I just don't get the Calvin cycle at all!"

"You're already way ahead of me, babe," Danny said, but the assurance did nothing to make her feel better. With her sights set on med school, Grace had long since set her own standards for academic achievement, and her father's lack thereof in his wild, youthful years had no impact on her nearly perfectionist attitude. Seeing that she was still frustrated, Danny offered a suggestion: "You know, Aunt Kono or I could introduce you to some of the scientists at the crime lab. Maybe they could explain this Calvin-thingy in a way that makes sense."

Grace shrugged.

Danny waited patiently as he drove across the dark city toward the house. After a while, he heard her sigh.

"Thanks for the offer, Danno," she said quietly, "but I really want to get this on my own."

Danny smiled and patted her knee. "I know you do, but some things don't have to be done alone. Even your big, bad Uncle Steve needs backup when he goes on a mission. He used to have his SEAL team, and now he's got me and Chin and Kono. It's ok to have help."

Grace thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, ok."

"Good."

They were nearly home now, but Danny waited until they had pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine before asking his question.

"Grace… about life guarding this summer…"

"I can do it, Danno," Grace began at once, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"I don't doubt that. I know you, you're my daughter, you're amazing, and I'm sure you would be an amazing lifeguard." He smiled as she perked up in pride. "It's just that… this is your first big job, your first _real_ job, and I've got to tell you, sweetie, it's not like other jobs. Not only will you be dealing with dirty bathrooms and disgruntled customers, but you could end up seeing some pretty nasty stuff."

"I know that, Danno."

The lights had turned off in the car, so Danny sought the faint outline of her face in the dark. "You've explained the what, where, when and how of this job, but I still don't know the why. Why do you want to do life guarding? Why not a nice, simple job as a barista? Or shaved ice with Kamekona?"

As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he could see the serious look on his daughter's face as she looked at him, and he suddenly realized that she had given this decision a lot of thought.

"Remember when we were with the Aloha Girls on that camping trip and you got shot?"

Of course Danny remembered that. He'd been locked in a small storage bunker with a group of terrified girls, including his daughter, while his partner played Rambo in the woods with a crazy jewel thief. "Yeah, I remember."

"We learned all about First Aid and CPR for our badges before that trip, and I was _really_ good at it when it came to doing things on the practice dummy. But when it happened in real life… I was scared. And I didn't like that."

"But that was a long time ago, sweetie."

"But you're still getting into danger."

Was _that_ what this was all about? His daughter was trying to protect _him_? He opened his mouth to ask, but Grace plunged ahead, answering his question before he could even begin to ask.

"I had a nightmare around Christmas and it seemed so real. You and Uncle Steve were in it, and we were out fishing, but there was a horrible accident and you were drowning and Uncle Steve was bit by a shark and bleeding out."

"Hang on- weren't you reading _Moby Dick_ at Christmas for your literature class?"

"Yes, but that's beside the point, Danno," Grace said, using her mother's best are-you-going-to-let-me-finish? voice. When her dad wisely remained silent, she continued. "In the dream, I tried to save both of you, but I kept freezing or doing things wrong, and you both died. After I woke up, I thought about it, and I decided that I don't want to ever be in that situation. I know a big shark isn't going to jump on Uncle Chin's boat and eat Uncle Steve's leg, but I see you and Uncle Steve in the hospital all the time. The last time I was there and Uncle Steve was in surgery, I thought, 'What if something happens to you or him when I'm around? What if I don't know what to do or am too afraid to do it? I might freeze, or I might do the wrong thing. And then you would die."

Danny stared at her for a long time, so long that Grace began to wonder if she had said the wrong thing.

"I want to be able to save you and Uncle Steve if something happens," she summarized.

For the umpteenth time in his life, Detective Daniel Williams wondered how on earth he had gotten so lucky in having this amazing person as his daughter. He certainly couldn't argue with her logic- he and Steve were in the hospital all-too-often, a fact that caused him no small amount of guilt when it came to his daughter. He cleared his throat. "Do you worry about that a lot?"

"Not anymore. I'm used to it now."

Danny hoped she didn't see him wince. "Do you feel like you _have_ to do this? I mean, you can be certified for First Aid and CPR through the Red Cross without getting a job as a lifeguard."

"Danno, I _want_ to do this. I want to put what I'm learning into practice. Please?"

And Danny, even though it was now almost too dark to see at all, knew that his daughter was using the same, sad, pleading puppy dog eyes that he could never refuse. He sighed. "Ok. I am officially giving my blessing for my baby girl to lifeguard as her first real job."

"Dad!"

Danny winced at the light punch to his arm and brightened at the following kiss to his cheek. Grace hated being called his 'baby girl', and although Danny did it predominately to tease her, for him it was still a reminder that childhood was fleeting and too soon she would be off to college and leading a life of her own.

"Thanks!" she added as she gathered her things and hurried into the house.

Danny smiled. He would do anything for his daughter. Saying yes to a job that he had already decided to agree to was easy. life guarding would be good for her: earn some cash, get real-world experience, learn fiscal responsibility with her earnings… what could go wrong?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- the show doesn't really tell you how wet everything can be here. Nothing dries out on the windward side. And the chickens- sooo many chickens! Seriously, in real life, Kamekona would have a chicken truck.**

(at the palace)

Steve was waiting for Danny when the detective arrived at the office the next morning. "So you talked to Grace last night?"

"Good morning, Steve. I'm fine, thanks for asking." Danny detoured into the break room for coffee, with Steve on his heels. "Did my daughter text you this morning?"

Steve nodded, bouncing slightly on his feet, clearly excited at the prospect of helping Grace train. "She wants to start this weekend."

"Fine by me. I'll stop by the country club and pick up some guest passes for you."

"I actually figured we'd start at my place, Danny. The first requirement is an 800 yard swim. We can do that in the ocean, and then work from there." Watching his partner down the first cup of coffee like a 30-proof shot, Steve noticed for the first time the dark circles under Danny's eyes. "Rough night?"

Danny nodded mutely and poured himself a second cup.

"Reyes?" Steve asked, referring to the nightmares that he knew still plagued his friend years after the incident.

Danny shook his head.

"Wo Fat?"

Another shake of the head.

"Ok…" Steve was at a loss. He tried one more time. "Rachel?"

"No." Danny scrubbed his bleary eyes with one hand. "After Grace and I talked, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about what she said."

"About?"

"About why she wants to lifeguard. Why not another job, a safe job, like flipping burgers at the joint down the road."

"And?"

Danny headed for his office and dropped into his chair, setting the mug of coffee on a coaster on his desk. Steve leaned against the doorway. "She wants to be able to save us."

"Come again?"

Danny sighed. "My daughter is afraid that one day an incident will happen and she will be helpless to save me- or you- and she'll have to watch me die in front of her. My daughter should not have these kinds of fears, Steven! She should be worried about her grades and her driver's license, and first dates, not watching her father bleed out."

"You aren't resigning, are you?" Steve asked, alarmed.

"The thought _did_ cross my mind," Danny admitted, "but Grace would never let me quit. She thinks I need to be around to save you."

"Oh." Steve felt a sudden surge of love and guilt for the girl. "Does she want _me_ to quit?"

"What? No! She just wants you- wants _us_ \- to be careful. Basically, what I tell you every time we make a bust or go on a high-speed chase: call for back-up, slow down, don't sacrifice yourself… that kind of thing. All the normal self-preservation instincts that you seem to be lacking."

"Right." Steve contemplated the merits of following Danny's frequently-issued advice. "You've got an amazing girl, Danno."

"Tell me about it," Danny huffed out proudly. They sat for a moment in silence, Danny swirling the grounds in the coffee mug and Steve staring absently out the window.

After a moment, Steve spoke. "She _does_ know that there are plenty of first-aid courses she could take that cover how to save bleeding fathers, right?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yes, she knows, but she wants the practice and figures she'll get more action at the pool."

"You know, if she wants some real, hands-on practice with treating injuries, I could take her along to my next Navy trai-"

"OUT, Steven!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for reviews so far! For the guest who expected chickens in the last chapter- I wrote this story before I got to Hawaii, so no chickens here! Don't worry, though- I've been taking lots of notes and chickens will definitely make an appearance in the next story. I'm working on that one now, but it's slow going. (Also, I've only seen chickens on the windward side, and The Lifeguard takes place mostly on the west side of the island.) Anything else from Hawaii that you'd like to see in the next story? And let me know what you think- I write to improve... I hope.**

Chp. 4: Training

Danny was more than happy to let Steve pick his daughter up at the crack of dawn on Saturday for training. The moment they left, he went back to bed, rolled over, and returned to sleep. He was still pleasantly ensconced in his comforter when the alarm rang shrilly two hours later. Bleary-eyed but elated to have gotten some much-needed shut-eye, he drove over to Steve's house and arrived in time to see his daughter treading water with…

"Hey!" Danny dropped his bag and towel and sprinted down to the water. "Is that a cinder block?"

Grace grinned, although it looked more like a grimace. "Yes," she huffed out through very red cheeks.

"15 more seconds, Gracie!" Steve called encouragingly as he treaded water beside her. "You can do this!"

"Steve, what the heck? Why is she holding a cinder block? You can't tell me this is a part of the curriculum!"

"We didn't have a 10 lb brick, Danny," Steve returned as he checked his stopwatch. "And… time!"

Grace let the block fall to the ocean floor and swam wearily in to shore. Steve followed a few minutes later with the cinderblock in one hand.

"Care to tell me what part of lifeguarding involves lugging heavy bricks around the ocean?" Danny asked as handed them each their towels.

"There's a pre-requisite list, Danno," Grace explained, "and we have to swim out 20 yards, retrieve a 10 pound brick from the bottom of the pool, and carry it back, above water, unassisted. I was having trouble with the last part, so we practiced treading water instead." Retrieving the discarded manual from the grass, she flipped to the pre-requisites page and showed her father the checklist. Danny was pleasantly surprised to find most of the items already checked off.

"Not bad!" he said, pride evident in his voice. "But you do know that cinder block is almost three times heavier than the actual brick that you'll be using, right?"

Grace shrugged. "It's important to be prepared, Danno." She gave him a quick hug and headed inside. "And after lunch, we're doing underwater self-defense moves," she added over her shoulder as the door closed behind her, leaving Danny outside, sputtering in her wake.

"Underwater self-defense?!" he objected loudly to his partner.

"It's in the curriculum, Danny," Steve said, rubbing the towel through his hair.

"Really? Which curriculum? Cause I'm pretty sure Grace is supposed to be using the Red Cross handbook and not the Aquaman Guide!" Danny reached for the discarded manual that Grace had dropped in the chair by the door, but Steve got to it first. "Come on, seriously?" Danny grumbled as his partner held the book away from him. "How old are you, five?" He made a swipe for the book, but Steve raised it over his head and easily out of the shorter detective's reach. "I am not playing Keep Away with you, Steven!"

"Relax, Danny. Grace is having fun, she's developing some great swimming techniques and…" Steve stopped as his phone buzzed. Still holding the book away from Danny, Steve scooped up the phone and held it to his ear. "Good morning, Governor… uh huh." He turned sideways as Danny made another grab for the book. "Yes sir, where?" He paused, placing a hand over the speaker. " _We've got a case,_ " he hissed as Danny futilely batted at his arm. "Yes, sir, I'm still here."

Danny held out his hand with a very pointed look that said, _Give me the book_.

Steve shook his head. "Do we know how many assailants?" he inquired into the phone.

Danny put one hand on his hip and counted to 3 with the other.

Steve closed his eyes and ignored him. "Yes, sir, I think that's the best way to do it."

Danny punched Steve in the stomach. It wasn't a full blow like Danny used to lay out criminals cold, but it was solid and it took Steve by surprise. He doubled over with a grunt. "Yes, sir. I'm still here," Steve panted into the phone. He tried to aim a kick at Danny's legs and missed. "No, sir, just out of breath. I've been working out." Steve's second attempt was successful and he soon had his squirming partner trapped between both legs in the grass. "Yes, sir, I understand- full discretion." He tightened his grip on Danny while still holding the glossy-covered manual out of reach. "My team will be at the scene in 15 minutes. I'll update you when we have something." Steve hung up.

Danny raised his head and glared at his partner. "Seriously? You couldn't have tackled me inside, over carpet? Now I'm all wet and dirty thanks to you, you big animal," Danny huffed. "You're worse than a dog. Why don't you just let me see the damn book?"

Steve propped himself up on one elbow but made no move to free his trapped prisoner. "Danny, did you, or did you not, say that you trusted me to train and prepare Grace for her life guarding course?"

"I did," Danny grudgingly admitted.

"So leave it alone. Besides, we have a case," and Steve jumped lightly to his feet as he released his partner. "Come on: we'll drop Grace at your place on the way over."

Danny, though still disgruntled, accepted the hand that Steve now offered him and brushed off his pants as he stood up. "Saved by the bell," he grumbled. He would get his hands on that book sooner or later- preferably sooner- and if it wasn't the Red Cross manual but some crazy Special Forces handbook instead, then -so help him- they would never find his partner's body.

"Hey! You coming?" Steve called, revving Danny's Camaro in the driveway.

"Coming, coming, just hold your horses !" and Danny climbed into the passenger's seat and they drove away.

…

The first thing Danny saw the next weekend when he arrived at Steve McGarrett's house was his partner trying to drown his much-beloved daughter. Danny had let himself into the house and immediately went to the backyard where he heard his daughter's shouting over the sound of the surf. Passing through the sliding doors, he strolled toward the beach, watching as Grace's small form swam toward her Uncle Steve who was splashing about, apparently playing the part of a drowning victim. He watched, smiling as Grace swam up to the taller man, attempting to rescue him… until Steve turned suddenly, wrapped both arms around Grace's neck, and pulled her under.

Danny's shoes were off and he was knee-deep in the waves when Grace suddenly resurfaced a few feet away.

"Danno!" she exclaimed upon seeing him. "Why aren't you wearing your swim trunks?" she giggled.

Danny glanced down at the foamy surf swirling around his nice slacks. He glared at Steve who had also come to the surface and was now splashing ashore. "Why are you trying to drown my daughter?" he demanded.

"It's in the curriculum," Steve said seriously, reaching for the towel he had thrown over the back of the lawn chair.

"I want to see this so-called 'curriculum'," Danny growled.

"It's true, Danno!" Grace said, giving him a wet hug. "Uncle Steve is helping me practice an active drowning rescue."

"And the 'active drowning' part refers to who, exactly- the victim or the lifeguard?"

Steve ignored him and passed the second towel to Grace. "Ready to start underwater demolition training after lunch, Grace?" he deadpanned.

"Sure! I'll go make the sandwiches!" and Grace skipped into the house, leaving the two men on the beach.

Steve waited until she was safely inside before facing his partner. To his surprise, however, there was no rant- only a sad shake of the head as Danny watched where Grace had disappeared inside the house. "You two are going to be the death of me, Steven."

Steve grinned. "I love you, too, buddy."

…

By the third week, Danny should have seen it coming. He loved his daughter, he thought she was the best thing to ever grace these volcanic chunks of rock that he now called 'home,' but- gosh durn it- her stubbornness was going to kill her, and him too. Danny couldn't complain too much since he was the exact same way, but like any parent, he now wondered whether his half of his daughter's genetic make-up would be her undoing.

The first official lesson in the course had been yesterday at the pool, and Grace had knocked the pre-requisite swim and water-treading out of the water – _hah!_ , Danny chuckled to himself – before settling down for the CPR and AED certifications. In the final minutes, the instructor had given them a preview of their lesson next week which included, among other things, pulling a victim up from the bottom of the pool. Grace, seeing the size of gentleman that the instructor had chosen as her 'victim' and realizing that he was _much_ heavier than the cinderblocks she had been practicing with, had a mild panic attack and immediately insisted on extra sessions with Uncle Steve to help prepare.

Since spring term finals were mostly done and the only items left on her academic platter were a few projects, Danny had acquiesced- but reluctantly. Something about Grace's mild anxiety seemed a bit off for his normally stalwart girl, but he hadn't been able to quite put his finger on it. Now, watching his partner work with her in the deep end, he knew something was wrong.

"WHAT. THE. HELL!"

Danny raised his eyebrows as his daughter proceeded to spout off several lines that he was quite certain he had never said within earshot of her while she simultaneously punched the water with her fist.

Steve surfaced nearby and swam up beside her. "Are you hurt?" he asked, concerned.

"No!" Grace smacked his hand away.

Steve jerked back and Danny saw the hurt plainly on his face, but the former SEAL hovered protectively nearby while Grace calmed down.

"Sorry, Uncle Steve," she finally said. "I guess I'm just frustrated."

" _Obviously_ ," Danny muttered from his position on the pool deck. He watched tensely from the edge of his deck chair in case Steve needed assistance, but for the moment, the man was holding his own with the distraught teenager.

"Hey, I get it," Steve said, nodding in understanding. "It's been a long day. Why don't we call it quits and try again tomorrow?"

"No, I need to get this. I felt like I was closer last time."

"Yeah, you were," Steve agreed. "You pulled me up about ten feet. That means we're down to the last five."

"Which is still roughly 33%." She groaned and lay back in the water, floating and staring at the clouds. "This sucks."

"Ok, so take a break, recoup your energy, and we can go again." Steve swam for the side of the pool, not giving Grace a chance to disagree as he pulled himself gracefully onto the deck. He made a show of ambling slowly over to where Danny was guarding the towels and took a long, methodical drink while making sure that Grace actually got out and rehydrated.

"Thanks for doing this," Danny said quietly, his eyes still on Grace.

"No problem, D. I'm worried about her, though- she's really hung up on this."

"Yeah, she gets that from Rachel."

"Really?" Steve quirked an eyebrow at him. "Cause I was going to say she gets it from you."

"Ha ha, very funny." Danny watched his daughter down the rest of her water bottle and smack it roughly against the fence before chucking it in the trash can. "Keep an eye on her, will you?"

"You know I always do, Danny."

Returning to the water, the pair swam leisurely out to the center of the deep end, Steve took a breath, exhaled, and sank to the bottom of the pool. Danny watched as his daughter executed a nice surface dive and swam down after him. Grace hooked a slender arm around the ex-SEAL's torso, pushed off the bottom with both feet, and began kicking desperately for the surface.

She wasn't going to make it. Steve was a deadweight- a 170lb dead weight, if Danny had to guess- and Grace was still a skinny girl. The odds and the physics were stacked against her. Still, Danny leaned forward in his chair, watching and hoping that maybe, just this time, she would reach the top. It didn't matter that the pool closed in less than 20 minutes; he knew that she would find some way to keep going, to keep trying, until it was finally too much and she collapsed. As a father, he had always been damn proud of her never-give-up attitude. Now, as a concerned father, he wished she would just quit. Or, at least stop for the moment. Recognize limitations. Quit trying to achieve the impossible.

Danny had demanded to see the Red Cross training manual after they had been out here for three hours. "There is no way that they're expecting _you_ ," he had pointed at Grace, "who's barely 100 pounds sopping wet, to pull up _him_ ," and he had jabbed a finger at his much taller, much heavier partner. "What _exactly_ did your instructor say you would need to do?"

"We have to pull a victim up from the bottom using a buoy and swim to shore with them."

"With a buoy? Why haven't you been using one?"

"Because that's not real life, Danno! If you fall off a boat into the ocean and I'm the only person with you, there might not be a buoy!"

Danny had to give her credit, she was right about real life. Being partnered with the unpredictable and usually explosive Navy man had taught him a lot about the expectations of real life. Still, the goal here was not to rescue him from the bottom of the ocean; it was to rescue a victim... in a pool... with a buoy. "Could you do it during practice?" he asked.

Grace hesitated. "Well, yes, after a couple of tries. But the instructor keeps picking the short, small people to be the victims. I need to be sure that I can do it with anyone, anywhere. Not just ideal situations." She looked at him with big, sad eyes. "Please, Danno, can we stay here a bit longer? I've almost got it."

She had been on the verge of tears then, and Danny had demanded that they take a well-deserved and much-needed snack break to rest and recuperate before going again. Steve had even made up some excuse about needing to call the office and check in with Chin and had disappeared for a good thirty minutes, giving Danny plenty of time to be sure that Grace ate, drank, and rested.

Now, watching Grace struggle to make it the last few feet to the surface, Danny wondered for the umpteenth time what was driving his daughter to push so hard beyond what was required for the life guarding license and certificate. She was desperate… but why? Her explanation earlier about worrying and looking out for Danny and the ohana rang true, but there was something missing, something else that she wasn't telling him. Through the ripples, he saw her clenched teeth and frantic sweeping and clawing of her hand. He hated to see her fail again. " _Come on, Grace,_ " he muttered.

Then Steve kicked his legs.

It was faint, a small flutter kick, so small that Grace didn't notice, but it was just enough. They broke the surface together, Grace gulping in a huge lungful of air (Steve wasn't the least bit out of breath), and swam to the side where Steve gave her a well-deserved high-five.

"Looks like all that hard work finally paid off," he said as they walked toward Danny's chair.

Grace grinned happily and gave him a huge hug. "Thank you, Uncle Steve!"

Over Steve's shoulder, Danny nodded at his partner. _Thank you_ , he mouthed. Steve nodded back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the reviews! Surfing lessons were awesome, but some of the bumps and bruises were in surprising places. In honor of my stiff muscles, I've started a new story with Danny and some surfing stuff. But I'll finish this one first. Kudos to my instructor, Ian, who waited until AFTER the lesson was over to tell me all his shark and surfing horror stories.**

 **As always, advice appreciated. Also, I'm bad at bloopers and plot holes- if I missed something, please let me know!**

Grace passed all the tests with flying colors and officially got the job at the country club the same afternoon. Danny hosted a small dinner celebration that evening and the team admired her certificates and laughed as Grace regaled them with funny stories of Uncle Steve helping her train and incidents with the other students in her class. Danny watched from a distance and smiled.

Then the nightmares began.

…

 _Monday_

Danny blinked groggily and rolled over in bed. 3:02 am, according to the glowing numbers on his bedside clock. He frowned, wondering why he was awake. Then he heard the noise again.

"DANNO!"

Flinging off the covers, he rushed down the hall to Grace's room. He found Grace in her bed, twitching, feet twisted in the covers and muttering incoherently after her outburst a few moments earlier.

"Grace, sweetie," Danny gently shook her shoulder, "you're having a nightmare."

Grace mumbled something and struggled against the sheets. "Danno…" she moaned.

"Yes, monkey, I'm here. Wake up, it's just a dream." Danny untangled the sheets and rubbed a hand up and down her arm. "Wake up, sweetie."

Grace's eyes opened suddenly. "Danno!" She jerked upright, grabbing her dad in a tight hug.

Danny rocked dangerously on the edge of the bed before he caught his balance. "Whoa! It's ok. It was just a dream." He patted her back comfortingly as she burrowed into his arms. It had been years since he had gotten this kind of hug and, honestly, he missed it. It was good to know his not-so-little girl still needed her father. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly as her breathing calmed.

"I… I don't remember it now."

"Ok, that's ok," Danny soothed. "If you do remember, you know where to find me."

"I know."

He set her down on the bed, tucked her in just like he had when she was five, and gave her a gentle kiss on the head. "Good night, monkey."

She smiled. "Good night. Thanks."

Danny switched off the light. "Danno loves you," he whispered.

…

 _Thursday_

Danny stared foggily at the paperwork on the desk in front of him. Requisition forms _… lovely_. Squinting, he finally found the part of the form that needed his signature and carefully scrawled his name across the line.

"Rough night?" Steve leaned against the office doorway.

Danny nodded and yawned.

"Another nightmare?"

"Third one this week."

Steve plunked a full mug of coffee on the desk and took the chair in the corner. "Any idea what's causing them?"

"No, but she does and she won't tell me." Danny downed the coffee in a single gulp. "I know you and I are in them, though. She keeps calling our names."

"Shit, Danny. Do you think it has something to do with the job, or with school?"

"School's over, so my money's on her job."

"Call her supervisor. Maybe there was an incident at the pool."

"Already did. She said Grace is an exemplary employee, shows up on time every day, does everything that's asked of her without complaint, and is basically an all-around good kid. Aside from a couple of stubbed toes and skinned knees, there haven't been any accidents or injuries at the pool so far."

Steve nodded. "Normally, I'd say it has more to do with our jobs than hers, but we haven't been in any kind of unusual danger in the past several months, either," he said thoughtfully.

"Well, now you've jinxed it. Go knock on some wood."

"What?"

"Geez, here, gimme-" and reaching across the desk, Danny grabbed his partner's hand and rapped it smartly against the wooden arm on the chair.

Steve withdrew his hand quickly, cupping the bruised knuckles in his palm. "Ouch! What the heck, Danny?"

"I probably just saved us from some kind of horrible death. You can thank me later."

…

 _Thursday, one week later_

Danny opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, listening. The house was silent. Rolling over, he peered at his alarm clock. 4:12 am. He pushed himself up on his elbows, straining to hear any noise from Grace's room. The weekend had been relatively quiet, and Monday had been blissfully peaceful, but now it was Thursday morning, the third morning – _again_ – in a row that Danny had been woken by his daughter's nightmares. Swinging his feet out of bed, he padded down the hall and pushed open her door. The bed was empty.

"Grace?" he called softly. A rustling noise caught his attention and he followed the sound through the house to the kitchen where he found his daughter sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey Danno," she greeted him with a tired smile.

Danny bent to kiss her head. "Good morning, monkey. What's all this?" and he gestured to the laptop, notebook, dictionaries, and books lying on the table.

"Summer homework."

"They give homework over the summer?" he asked, aghast. "Is that even legal?" He was delighted when he got a small giggle in return.

"It's high school, Danno. It's just the way it works."

"Uh huh." He flipped through her notebook without really reading it and glanced around at all the papers. "So you just woke up at-" he checked his watch, "4:15 and thought, _I'm bored, I should study_?" He watched as Grace suddenly became very interested in whatever was on the computer screen and she bent closer, hiding her face from view. "You know I don't buy that story, right?"

"Danno, do you always have to be a detective?" she asked in an annoyed tone, her face still hidden behind the screen.

"Do you always have to pretend like things are ok, even when they aren't?"

Grace didn't respond.

Danny reached over and tipped the laptop closed. "This is Daddy Danno speaking, not Detective Williams. Daddy Danno is worried about his daughter because she is clearly having nightmares, and even though she claims she doesn't remember them, he knows better. And he really wants her to talk to him because he is very worried about her, but she, for reasons completely unknown, doesn't want to talk to him."

Grace sighed. "Maybe the nightmares are getting better and she doesn't want to bother her dad because she knows that he has a dangerous job and he needs his sleep so that he doesn't get hurt at work."

"Getting better?" Danny protested. "3 nightmares last week and 3 more this week doesn't sound like better to me."

Grace shrugged.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know."

"Ok."

Danny watched Grace open the laptop and resume typing. He scrubbed a tired hand over his face and glanced at his watch again. 4:28 am.

"Go to bed, Danno." Grace peered at him over the top of her computer and gave him a very teenaged glare. "Go back to sleep."

"But you need-"

"I'm fine. You need sleep." She stood up abruptly and skirted the table to give him a kiss. "Good night."

Realizing that he was being dismissed, Danny stood up, albeit unwillingly, and moved to the door. "Good night, Gracie." He paused. "Danno loves you."

She gave him a sad smile. "I love you too, Danno."

…

"There's something wrong, but she won't tell me and it's breaking my heart!" Danny and Steve sat on the couch in Steve's office, waiting for lab results and database searches to finish while Kono, Chin, and Grover followed up on several leads in the field. With Danny exhausted after another early morning, the conversation had quickly turned to Grace.

"I hear you, man," Steve said, seeing Danny's distressed face. "Have you talked to Rachel?"

"No. She and Stan are away all summer. She doesn't need to know."

"Ok, I hate to ask this, but… would Grace talk to Rachel? Maybe it's, you know… a girl thing."

Danny's eyes widened. "Are you implying my daughter is pregnant?"

"What? No! But sometimes mothers and daughters share a special connection that fathers and daughters don't."

Danny considered this for a moment. "No, I don't think that's it. I mean, she's acting like Rachel- she reminds me more of my ex-wife as she gets older, and sometimes it drives me crazy- but if it were a girl thing, then why does she keep yelling our names when she's dreaming?"

"Huh." Steve leaned back and stared at the ceiling, while draping an arm across the rear of the couch. "Maybe she needs to see someone. I could ask my therapist for a good recommendation…"

"Your therapist works with people who blow things up for a living. My daughter needs someone _normal_."

"So I'm not normal?"

"How did this conversation suddenly become about you?" Danny glared.

"I was just trying to be helpful," Steve protested, but quieted quickly when he realized that Danny wasn't in a ranting mood. "Look, she knows you won't be around forever. Maybe this is her, trying to be an adult and handle it on her own."

"But she doesn't _have_ to handle it on her own! She's not Captain Classified, for Pete's sake!" Danny gestured in Steve's direction.

"You never know," Steve mused. "She could be a young CIA recruit and she's just having trouble dealing with the stress of training." Seeing Danny's incredulous look, he quickly continued with a glint in his eye: "Think about it: it would explain her need for independence, why she won't talk to you, the hours of training spent with me-"

"Steven?" Danny interrupted. "Shut up."

"I'm just saying that it explains a lot."

"You're not taking this seriously!"

As Danny flushed red, Steve realized he'd crossed a line and sobered. "I'm sorry, D. I'm not a father, I've never dealt with this before, and I don't know what you want me to do. I can't intimidate her into talking- I mean, I could, but I don't think that's what you want- and I can't fix the problem for you. I've offered to get a recommendation from my therapist but, past that, I'm all out of ideas." He lapsed into silence while Danny twisted a pen between his fingers. They sat that way for some time as the clock on the wall ticked quietly in the background.

"You know," Danny said softly, "if it were any other thing, like something at school, or a big project, or even car trouble, I would be totally fine with her trying to be an adult and handle it on her own. But to see her, to hear her each night, suffering like this… it _hurts_ me, Steve."

"I know, man, I know." Steve bit his lip at the sudden wetness in his partner's eyes. "It hurts me, too."

…

 _Afternoon_

Steve had just finished pulling zip ties around the last criminal's wrists and had passed the man off to Kono when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Pulling it out, he spared a glance at the caller ID before placing it to his ear.

"Hi Gracie."

"Commander McGarrett?" returned a voice that was definitely not Grace's.

Steve was instantly on alert. "Who is this? What happened to Grace?"

"Relax, commander, this is Officer Nekoa with HPD. Grace left her phone at the pool and I recovered it while taking statements a few minutes ago. Detective Williams isn't answering his phone, and, after the incident, I thought Grace might be with you, sir. Would you like me to drop the phone off at the Palace?"

"Yeah, sure," Steve responded absently before latching onto one word. "Wait. What incident?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- next few updates may take a while. I'm not happy with the next couple of chapters and am working on deleting a few scenes and rearranging some others. Sorry. Also, jellyfish don't hurt as bad as I expected, but it sure is annoying. And whoever came up with the idea for a jellyfish calendar is brilliant. Many thanks to comments and reviews. I hope everyone has a pleasant, jellyfish-free Monday!**

Grace squinted into the sun as she stared out over the sparkling surface of the swimming pool. At three in the afternoon, it was crowded with neighborhood families who didn't feel like fighting the traffic to make it out to the beach or fighting tourists for a piece of the sand. In the shallow end, toddlers splashed and squirmed while their parents chatted, checked their diapers, and lathered sunscreen on their tiny backs. Grace hated that zone and was happy to have finished her shift there a half-hour ago. The next zone, which contained lane ropes and lap swimmers, was equally boring. Now she was in zone 3, watching the 5-6 foot section bordering the deep end. It wasn't bad here- the people were always interesting and there was more to watch, but her favorite was the deep end. On a good day, Mr. Makanani, a retired professional diver, would come by and do stunts on the diving board.

Sighing, she checked her watch. Ten more minutes until she got to switch. Her eyes drifted back over the water, scanning her section from left to right. Two women leaning on the edge of the pool, chatting, nothing to see there. Next was a father throwing a water Frisbee to his two kids who jumped and pushed each other madly to grab it first. They'd been here all day and Grace could tell they were excellent swimmers. She glanced over them and moved on. A grandfather holding his toddler and bouncing the boy up and down in the water was next. He seemed attentive enough, but accidents could happen. Most drowning deaths were children about his age. Grace made a mental note check on them more frequently.

A movement in her periphery caught her eye. Pausing her scan, she gave a shrill blast on her whistle. "No running, Kai!" she yelled across the deck. Kai already had one scraped knee from tripping earlier that week and Grace didn't want to clean another angry wound while the kid yelled in agony. Nodding with satisfaction when Kai slowed to a walk, Grace resumed her scan.

Two girls in pigtails were jumping off the side into the water, practicing their cannonballs and giggling hysterically. They weren't strong swimmers, but they had passed the swimming test earlier that summer. Grace smiled as one climbed out, slinging water from her braids. She herself had opted for a shorter haircut this summer (much to Danno's dismay) after realizing that her long ponytail was a nuisance in the water.

As her eyes swung in a circle over the "south" end of her zone, she saw two boys just getting in the water a few feet from the lifeguard stand. Shading her eyes, she checked that they both had the swim test stamp on their hands. Satisfied, she completed her scan, took a quick drink of water, and began to scan her zone again.

Ten minutes later, her shift was over and she climbed down from the platform. As she headed for zone 4, she stopped to splash water on her face and refill her water bottle. Settling into the chair on top of the stand, she adjusted the strap on the buoy over her shoulder and began her scan of the deep end. A line of teenagers and a few younger kids waited impatiently behind the diving board for her signal to start jumping. With a smile, she waved for them to begin.

There were the usual dives, flips, and cannonballs, and one very resounding belly flop as the line progressed. She stopped one young daredevil who was convinced he could do a backflip, and made two more kids who hadn't passed the swimming test go back to the shallow end. They left grumbling and griping about the "mean lady guard." Grinning, Grace gestured to the next person in line. It was one of the boys who had been climbing in just as she had changed shifts a few minutes ago. He did a neat front tuck and swam under the rope to the shallow end. Spitting out a stream of water, he waved to his friend who was next.

The boy who stepped up onto the board was a white haole with little to no tan. Probably a main-lander, Grace guessed. The board dipped as the boy made his way carefully out to the edge, bounced gently, and jumped in. The board clattered on the metal ladder. Grace leaned forward to watch as the boy swam down through a cloud of bubbles to touch the bottom of the pool. Placing both feet on the bottom, he pushed off and started to rise to the surface. Grace gestured for the next diver to get ready. Then a scream ripped across the pool deck.

Kai sat on the ground by the shallow end cradling his arm while Grace's irate coworker, Finn, descended the steps from her stand to help him. _Stupid kid_ \- she'd told him not to run. At least Finn got to deal with him this time. She turned her attention back to the deep end and checked to be sure the boy had exited the deep end before the next diver.

Except he hadn't.

He floated limply a few feet from the bottom of the pool, unconscious.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N** : **I'm completely reworking the ending chapters of the story; sorry for delay. Had to change some details for continuity. Hope I didn't miss anything. Details are not my strong suit. Let me know if I goofed. Also, the Hawaiians and I clearly have different definitions of what constitutes a "trail." Good news: I'm not lost. Bad news: have I mentioned the vicious mosquitoes?**

Earlier that day:

"Life is so much easier when they confess," Danny commented as he and Steve exited the interrogation room.

"But not as much fun." Steve's face was almost a pout as he thought about all the interesting, new techniques that he hadn't gotten to try out on their suspect. "I like it better when they don't confess."

"A confession means less paperwork," Danny pointed out. "Plus, he gave up his two pals, saving us several hours of background-digging and investigative paperwork."

Steve considered this. He hated paperwork. "Nope. Still not as interesting as using the jet skis."

Danny rolled his eyes. "At least the governor hasn't found out about that one yet." He checked his phone and frowned. "Have you heard from Grace today?"

Steve pulled his own device from one of the cargo pockets and flicked it on. "Nope. Maybe she's still at work?"

"No," Danny murmured absently, "she usually texts me before now, even if she is working. You know, like " _Hey, Danno, how's work? Pool is busy today. Crazy kids on the diving board._ "That kind of thing."

Steve shrugged. "It's early afternoon. Maybe she forgot."

"Maybe," but Danny sounded unconvinced. They entered the empty office. Chin and Kono were still at the suspect's apartment. Snatching the end-of-case paperwork off his desk, Danny followed Steve into his office. "So, about her nightmares," he began as he settled into the chair across from his partner's desk. "I realized something after our conversation earlier today: she was having nightmares _before_ she started her job. She's been having bad dreams for a while now, but they were so infrequent that I just didn't notice until recently, when it became a regular occurrence." Steve looked up and Danny saw that he had his partner's full attention. "I think there's something else going on."

"You mean something else that's triggering the nightmares? Something besides her job at the pool?" Work forgotten, Steve pushed the papers to the side of his desk. "When did the nightmares start? Do you think it's school related?"

"They started about three months ago, as best as I can figure, but honestly, I'm not sure. It could have been longer. And I already contacted Grace's teachers- they can't think of anything, and the school doesn't have any incidents on record from 3 months ago that involve Grace."

"Maybe she wasn't directly involved in an incident- maybe she just saw something and it scared her."

"Trust me, Steve, there's nothing in the files except for the usual stuff: the boy's bathroom got trashed, there was a small fire in the chemistry lab, and a chicken got loose in the library." At the last one, Steve smirked and Danny shook his head. "I didn't ask."

"But you're sure the nightmares started then?"

"She was fine at Christmas. I think." But having realized that his daughter had been waking in the middle of the night and doing homework without him, Danny was no longer sure.

"What if I talk to her the next time we go surfing?"

"Thank you," Danny said sincerely, feeling somewhat better. "I wish I could say that she tells me everything but… well, that's obviously not the case. I'll ask Rachel, too. It could be something happened with her and Stan, but I somehow think she's not to blame for this one. Surprisingly enough."

Steve chuckled. "I'll remember that the next time you start griping."

Danny glared at him. "I'd argue about that, but I've got to get these forms done. Plus, you and I need to go grab What's-His-Face's friends before I go pick up Charlie from day camp."

Steve waved at the mound of paperwork on his desk and in Danny's hands. "I'll handle the paperwork and Kono and I can go pick up the rest of the gang. Go ahead and get Charlie."

Danny eyed him skeptically. "You're offering to do my paperwork? For free? Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm serious, D. I _can_ write reports, you know."

"What about back-up? It's not that I don't trust Kono, but…"

"I am a highly trained Navy SEAL, Danny. I think Kono and I can handle a few local thugs." Steve raised his hand as Danny opened his mouth to protest. " _But_ , just to make you feel better, I promise to call HPD for backup. Now go take care of things with Charlie and talk to Grace. We'll be fine."

"Aw, my little boy's all grown up," Danny joked as he stood up, but he was genuinely touched. Leaving his pile of papers on Steve's desk, he closed up his office and headed to pick up his son.

…

Grace let herself into her dad's house and dropped her duffle bag on the bed. She tried to ignore the shaking in her hands as she undressed and tossed her damp uniform and swimsuit into the laundry bin in the hallway. The house was empty- Charlie was still at day camp and her dad had another couple of hours at least before he picked up her brother and brought him home.

Grace stood uncertainly in the hallway for a few minutes until the silence became overwhelming. Fleeing to the bathroom, she laid both trembling hands on the sink and stared into the mirror. Her hair was matted and sticky with chlorine, her eyes red with tears that she hadn't yet shed. She looked away and watched her hands. Even lying on the countertop, she could feel them shaking slightly on the cool surface. With a yell, she lashed out, her fist colliding with the tiled wall.

 _It wasn't fair. The whole thing wasn't right. It didn't make sense_.

Angry, she punched the wall again and felt something shift in her hand. She jerked her hand back. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths. She could hear Danno's voice in her head: _I raised you better than this_ , he would say. _It's ok to be angry, Monkey, but you may not take that anger out on others or yourself._

Grace breathed in and out again. Then she turned on the water and stepped into the steam. _It wasn't fair._ The anger she had felt a few moments ago left as the surge of adrenaline left her body and a new emotion took its place. _It wasn't fair._ A small sob escaped as the stress of the day finally caught up to her. _Why? It didn't make sense. It… just… wasn't… fair._ Cradling her bruised knuckles, she sank down against the tiled wall of the shower and cried.

…

[A short time later]

Grace awoke with a gasp, halfway between the couch and the living room floor. She crashed in a hard heap on the floorboards and didn't move for several minutes. She had only laid down for a quick nap after her shower, and it was endlessly frustrating and exhausting to not be able to get decent rest. She wasn't sure when she had last had good, deep, restful sleep, and now she had another nightmare to plague her dreams.

The memory of the dream faded quickly, though, and with a weary sigh she pushed herself up. There was nothing more than a couple of bruises to show from her fall off the couch, and she could easily explain those away. Danno didn't need to know.

Reaching to check her phone, she realized she had left it at the pool. She sighed. Ami had texted her earlier to find out if she wanted to go surfing later, but Grace had been so busy at the pool, she hadn't had time to reply. But that was ok- she didn't want to go surfing right now anyway. In fact, she didn't want to be anywhere near water. The realization stung her because the ocean was one of the things that she loved most about Hawaii, but at the moment, Grace wanted to be as far from the sea as possible.

Running… Running sounded good. Grace sat on the couch and subconsciously rubbed her sore elbow from her tumble a few minutes earlier. She liked running. It sounded better than swimming or surfing or paddleboarding, and she needed to do _something_ , anything except wait around at home for Danno and Charlie to show up.

A few minutes later, she had changed into her blue running shorts and top and was out the door with no real plan for where she was going, only that it was away from the house, away from her swimsuits and uniform, and away from the wretched smell of chlorine. She wanted to run until she couldn't think and couldn't feel.

She wanted to run until it all went away.


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews so far! Here's an extra long chapter, which is my way of apologizing for the long delay. For this chp, I feel like Grace's mood swings were a bit too rapid, but I'm not certain- mammal-to-mammal communication isn't my strong suit, either. Feedback appreciated._**

 _*You've reached Steve McGarrett. Leave a message.*_

" _Hey, Steve, it's Danny. Just checking to see if you've heard from Grace today_."

Steve's tires squealed as he whipped the truck into the first parking spot at the country club while Danny's voice mail played over the truck's loudspeakers.

" _She should've been home hours ago, but I just got home with Charlie and she's not here. She's not answering her cell, either_." Danny's voice betrayed a mixture of irritation and worry as Steve heard him helping Charlie unload his baseball gear in the house. " _Huh_." Steve could hear the rustling of grocery bags in the background. He jumped out of the truck and headed for the pool at a brisk pace, clutching the phone to his ear. " _Well, she came home at some point. Her wet swim stuff is here. Looks like she might have gone to work out? Left her water bottle on the counter, though. Sorry to bother you. See you tomorrow._ "

The voicemail ended with a click and Steve stowed the phone in his pocket as he unclipped his badge from his belt. "McGarrett, 5-0," he barked at the young man in the golf shirt and slacks manning the gate. "Where's the-" but he didn't have to finish. The teenager was already pointing down a well-manicured path toward the pool house.

…

Grace focused on the rhythm of her footfalls as she pounded through the damp neighborhood streets. The daily afternoon shower had slowed to a drizzle, leaving the asphalt slick and steamy as they sun began to reemerge. She moved randomly through the subdivision, not giving much attention to the streets or signs as her thoughts turned away from the run and to her family. Danno had already been worried about her before today, and she could only imagine how he would react when he found out what happened. She knew her father wanted her to open up to him, but she wasn't sure how to explain how she felt.

It had been over a year since the accident on the beach that had caused her nightmares and driven her to lifeguarding, and now she had a new bad dream to add to the mix. The nightmares frustrated her. While it hadn't been a small thing to upset her, still… there were so many bigger, worse things in the world. She should be able to handle this on her own. She was almost an adult, after all.

Her thoughts then turned to her Uncle Steve. Although her dad and her uncle rarely talked about the unpleasant aspects of their work, Grace was still very aware that they had both killed people and seen people they knew and loved be killed. She was named after one of them. She could always tell when Danno had had a hard day because he would come home and immediately embrace her in a big, tight hug. But Uncle Steve… she had never seen Uncle Steve upset. Perhaps danger and difficulty didn't faze him. Maybe he wasn't bothered by the emotional aspects of situations. Uncle Danny had complained before about his mammal-to-mammal communication skills. Perhaps this was part of it.

Lost in her own thoughts, she forgot about the time and wandered on, splashing through puddles and across grassy medians as she pushed herself further. Her heart pounded and her legs burned, but she didn't stop running until her shoes slipped and she took a tumble on the asphalt. As her legs slid out from under her, her arm and legs collided with the pavement, and she cried out as the rough surface cut her skin.

For a moment, she lay on the ground, stunned. Then she quickly sat up and surveyed the damage. A quick check showed nothing worse than a scraped calf and forearm. She tried to brush off the grime and winced as her skin burned.

"Hey, you ok?" A blue Mercedes pulled alongside her, the native Hawaiian driver peering worriedly out of his rolled-down window. "I saw you fall- you need a ride home, sistah? Or call someone?"

Grace pulled herself up and hid another wince as her hip protested the move. She was going to be sore tomorrow. "No thank you, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Grace flashed him a reassuring smile. "I live just around the corner. Thanks, though." With a small wave, she took off at a light jog, not giving the driver time to argue. Now once more aware of her surroundings, she realized just how far she had come from the house. At first not recognizing where she was, she finally spotted a street name she knew- Papai Street. It was right across the highway from Uncle Steve's house.

 _How far have I run?_ she wondered, trying to calculate the mileage. Then a new thought crossed her mind: _How long have I been gone?_ A quick glance at her watched showed she had been away for several hours already. Danno was going to kill her. Or worry himself into a coma. Either way, she needed to get home, and fast. With her leg and arm hurting more with each passing step, she doubted she could run all the way back. The better option would be for her uncle to take her home. Walking down to the crosswalk at Kalanianaole Highway, she punched the button and waited for the light to change so she could cross.

…

Steve sat in the country club parking lot and held the phone in his hands for a long time before finally dialing Danny's number. His partner picked up after the second ring.

"Miss me already?" Danny asked. "Or did the paperwork finally do you in?" Steve could hear the clang of pots and pans in the background.

"No, I-"

"You and Kono were supposed to go get those last couple of guys. Don't tell me you've been shot."

"No-"

"One of them got away?"

"No, we got them all," Steve said impatiently. "Danny, listen- is Grace home?"

"No, she's out running, I think. Didn't you get my voicemail?"

"Yeah, I did. She's not back yet?"

"No. Why?" A hint of worry crept into Danny's voice. "What's wrong?"

"There was an… incident… at the pool today."

"Incident?" Danny was on fully-alert father mode now. "What happened?"

"Maybe I should come over."

"Steven…"

"A boy drowned."

"Shit. Is that why she hasn't been answering her phone?"

"I have her phone. She forgot it at the pool when she left. HPD tried to call you…"

"…but I was picking up Charlie and he had all that baseball gear," Danny realized. "I thought the call was from Grace. I figured I could call her back later when my hands weren't full. Shit." He sat down in a kitchen chair and glanced at the clock on the wall. "That was hours ago. She should have been back by now."

"Maybe. We don't know when she actually left. If she came home, showered, changed, got a bite to eat, and _then_ went running…"

"Maybe…" but Danny didn't sound convinced.

"I'm going to swing by my place," Steve continued, eyeing some stains on his shirt left over from the bust with Kono. "Then I'm coming over and we're going to find her. Just… wait until I get there."

There was silence on the other end.

"Danny, I'm serious- wait for me."

"Okay," Danny grumbled.

…

Her uncle's door was locked, something Grace had not expected since it was already past time for him to be home, so she moved to the backyard and sat in a chair on the lanai. Crossing the highway at rush hour had been awkward- multiple motorists had stopped to ask if she needed help, and she hadn't missed their skepticism when she assured them that yes, she really was ok. Blood from the scrapes on her leg and knee had trickled down her calf and soaked her sock, making her accident look much worse than it actually was. Not wanting the neighbors to call the police, she decided she was better off waiting in the privacy of the backyard instead of on the front porch. Since the house was locked, she drank from the garden hose next to the deck, then lay down in one of the chairs on the lanai and closed her eyes. After a few minutes, her breathing evened out and she fell asleep.

 _The pale form floats a few feet above the bottom of the pool, unconscious. A few bubbles trickle from his mouth. His body twitches…_

Grace frowned and shifted uneasily in the lawn chair. The dream fast-fowarded to the next scene.

 _The boy lies on a backboard on the deck, water spilling out around the edges of his lips… freckles sprouting across both cheeks… hair clumping together in little curls on his forehead. Tilting her ear over the pale lips, she watches his chest. Nothing._

Grace flinched as panic surged through her body, but she couldn't break away from the dream. Helpless, she was forced to watch as the images continued.

 _She pushes and water pours from his mouth. Still unresponsive, cold, damp. She tilts the head, positions the mask. In, out. In out… Begin compressions. Count to 30. Now for breaths: in, out, in out… Endless cycle, infinite repetitions._

But the dream didn't end there.

 _The AED appears beside her, and a flash of purple swim trunks, a man who volunteered. He dries the boy off. Grace places the sticky pads on the boy's chest. The machine analyzes…_

With a groan, Grace rolled away, desperate to wake herself.

 _His little body jerks, then is still. She continues CPR. Count to 30, breathe into the mask, in, out, in out, begin compressions, count to 30, in, out, in, out… She eyes the machine, hopeful as it analyzes. But it does not ask to shock again…_

Steve pulled into the drive, hurried upstairs to change shirts, and stopped abruptly by the window on the landing. Someone was sitting in the sand by the water. He reached automatically for his weapon and cleared the rest of the house. Then he crept stealthily out the door and across the yard toward the beach. As he got closer, however, he could see familiar purple sneakers and relaxed a little. Stowing the gun, he pulled out his phone and texted Danny. _Grace is here._

Danny's reply was almost immediate. _Is she ok? How did she get there?_

 _Don't know yet. I'll bring her home in a bit_.

He deliberately cleared his throat as he approached so as to not startle her. "Mind if I join you?"

"No," Grace lied. She had her knees drawn up to her chest, with her chin resting on her right knee, her face turned away from him as she watched the sun set. Her left knee and arm had some nasty abrasions, but they seemed to have stopped bleeding for the moment. Kicking off his shoes, Steve sat down next to her in the sand and waited for her to make the next move.

After several minutes of silence between them, Grace finally spoke. "I guess Danno's pretty mad at me, huh?" she asked in a puffy voice.

"Mad? Mad, no. Worried, yes."

"He doesn't need to worry. I'm fine," Grace said, every bit as stubborn as her father.

"You don't look fine. How'd you get those cuts?"

Grace looked down at her leg, relieved to have something else to talk about besides the pool or her continued bad dreams. "I fell while running. The road was really slick. It doesn't hurt too much, now."

"Still needs to be cleaned, though. Why don't you come inside so I can patch you up?" Steve knew she was perfectly capable of managing a few small scrapes herself, but he sensed that the girl sitting next to him was feeling a lot younger at the moment than she looked.

Grace shrugged and took the outstretched hand. As they headed up the lawn toward the house, Steve pulled out his phone.

"Are you calling Danno?" Grace wanted to know. She didn't want to go home just yet.

"No, Duke."

Grace wrinkled her eyebrow. "Why?" she asked and was surprised when Steve actually smiled.

"I got a report on the way home about some blood-soaked _keiki_ trying to cross the highway at rush hour. But I think we just solved that case." Looping an arm around her good side, he pulled her into a light hug. "Come on: let's get you cleaned up."

Grace sat barefoot on the toilet seat while Uncle Steve pilfered through his very well-stocked medicine cabinet for disinfectant, bandages and gauze pads. While he hadn't asked why she had run so far that afternoon, she had a feeling that the conversation was merely on hold until she was patched up and feeling better.

Kicking her feet back and forth against the cold, tile floor, she was suddenly reminded of her first time sitting here, years ago, only a few weeks after meeting him. Danno had needed to meet with her mother and the lawyers ( _fight with them_ was probably more accurate), and had dropped her and her new bike off with Uncle Steve for the afternoon. It hadn't been more than a few minutes after he left, and she had taken a tumble in the gravel driveway and skinned her knee. She remembered crawling out from under the bike, sniffling, as her new uncle rushed out to her. He was still a big, scary military man in her mind then, but she had been frightened and hurt, and she felt safe when he scooped her up in his strong arms and carried her upstairs.

"What are you smiling about?" Steve interrupted.

Grace started. He was ringing out a warm washcloth over the sink but watching her carefully in the mirror as he worked. "My first time sitting here, when I skinned my knee after my bike wreck," she explained.

"That was scary," Steve nodded as he gently wiped the blood and grime from her arm.

Grace huffed out a short, humorless laugh. "For me or for you?"

"For me. I'd known your dad for what- maybe a few weeks?- and I knew that you were the most important thing in his world. Then, the first time he brought you over, entrusting me with your safety, I blew it. I was terrified he was going to kill me."

"You?" Grace couldn't help a small smile, then winced as he prodded a tender spot.

"Yup."

"But you're a Navy SEAL."

Steve shrugged as he padded disinfectant on her arm. "I've been around your dad long enough to know that the SEALs are nothing compared to the wrath of a father who is worried about his only daughter." Steve sat on the edge of the tub and began working on her leg. "You should have seen him when you were being held hostage in that storage facility years ago- the poor man was on the verge of breaking down with worry over you… kind of like how he's worried right now." He gave her a pointed look.

She frowned.

He waited.

"There's going to be an investigation," she said quietly after a short silence.

Steve nodded. "That's normal in a situation like this."

"A situation like what?" Grace's anger flared suddenly, her cheeks flushing with emotion. "Eleven year old abandoned by mother at the pool drowns? Where was his mother? Who the fuck just leaves their kid at the pool alone all day?"

Somewhat stunned, Steve stopped his work and looked her in the eyes. "I'm going to pretend like I didn't just hear that."

"What? Like you and Danno don't cuss."

With a sigh, he set the disinfectant and gauze aside. "Yes. We do. But just because we do it, doesn't make it right-"

"Do as I say, not as I do?" Grace laughed bitterly. "Double standard."

"Grace, listen. I know you're upset-"

"Damn right I'm upset." She was pushing buttons now, deliberately seeking a reaction. "None of this should have happened! His mom should have been there, he should have been wearing a medical bracelet, someone should have informed the pool staff... of course I'm upset!"

"-and I understand why," Steve continued, ignoring her outburst.

"You understand why? Yeah, right." Grace knew she was being rude, but she was angry and ploughed ahead. "Like you've had a kid die on you? Die while you're doing CPR, while doing everything you can to save them, but they die anyway, and you're left wondering if you screwed up somehow and that's why they're dead?"

"Yes."

His voice was low, almost a whisper. Biting back a retort, Grace looked, _really_ looked this time, at her Uncle Steve. He was staring somewhere over her shoulder, his eyes distant as he continued in a hoarse voice. "It was a little boy, about twelve years old, in a remote village. I was hiding in a corner of a bombed-out mud hut doing CPR and trying to avoid the bullets. There was gunfire all around me, the sat phones were down, and the nearest hospital was miles away. We were pinned down and running out of options."

It was very quiet in the bathroom. The antiseptic and gauze pads lay forgotten on the edge of the sink. Grace held her breath, watching as her father's best friend relived those events that had transpired years ago in a dusty little village on another continent. For the moment, they were in another world.

"The boy's parents were there. They were screaming at me in… well, another language, the mission is still classified, and the boy was bleeding from at least three different holes in his body." Steve took a deep breath. "And then he died. And when he died, there was no doctor or machine to tell me that he was dead. I just stopped CPR, and then the mother began to hit me and the father screamed at me to continue because they didn't understand that their son was no longer with them."

Steve heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand absently through his hair.

"For weeks afterwards, all I could think about was that little boy. Maybe if my team had taken a different route through the village. Maybe if I had noticed him lying there sooner. Maybe if I had worked harder to stop the bleeding. Maybe, maybe, maybe…"

In the quiet that followed, Grace could hear faint sound of the ocean drifting through the window on the landing. She stared at her uncle, waiting for more, but the story was apparently finished. Steve remained crouched at her side, unmoving. A large gauze pad hung limply in his hand as he stared into the distance. Grace blinked quickly and looked away.

She had always vaguely noticed Steve's _other_ work, the occasional missions that called him away from the islands, sometimes for weeks at a time with no word or contact, but she had never thought about what that work might entail. Somehow, she had maintained her eight-year-old image of a soldier fighting bad guys, similar to what he did here, and had never thought beyond that. She never pictured the grime or dirt or blood that were naturally a part of the job.

Casting another glance at him, she saw his eyes were moist. Grace swallowed the lump in her throat. She regretted her words a few minutes ago and wished she could take them back. Reaching out, she squeezed his hand. They sat together in silence for a moment…

And then the moment was gone. Steve clapped his hands, scooped up the antiseptic bottle and chucked it back in the medicine cabinet, surreptitiously passing a hand across his face as his back was turned. "So. About your choice of wording a few minutes ago…"

"I'm sorry. I was upset and stressed and… well, it's what people say when they're upset. It's ok."

"Your father and I beg to differ," he returned. "Are you worried about your meeting with the detectives tomorrow?"

She bit her lip.

"I thought so. Listen carefully: your use of language is indicative of your level of self-control. The detectives will be looking for, among other things, the fact that you can keep a clear head and do your job in an emergency. If you can't control your words, how can they expect you to control your actions?"

Grace wished he would just drop the issue. "I won't curse in front of _them_."

"Really? Because up until a few minutes ago, I never thought you would curse in front of me."

Grace looked away.

"…Danny will be with you the whole time."

"But what if…" She hesitated, unsure how to explain what she wanted. She knew what had happened… or what she thought had happened… but what if she were wrong? What if she had messed up? What if they asked a question that she didn't know the answer to? And what if… what if she had been at fault? Would Danno be ashamed of her? Would he hate her? "What if I don't want Danno there?"

"What?" Steve wasn't sure he'd heard right. "Why?"

She shrugged. "And do I have to do it at home?"

"No... I suppose you could go down to the station to give your statement."

"Could I do at your office? I mean, if it's ok?" She looked at him hopefully. "I just don't want them- the detectives- at home."

Steve hadn't seen that pleading, pitiful expression in her big, brown eyes since she was a little kid. And- gosh durn it- Danny was right: he couldn't seem to say no. He nodded slowly. "I don't see why not. But I don't understand why you wouldn't just let them come to your house. Are you trying to intimidate them by inviting them into my office? Should I show up in uniform?"

"What? No. I just don't want them at home. I don't want every place to remind me of _him_."

"The boy?"

Grace nodded. "It's bad enough that the house reeks of chlorine and my swimsuits are everywhere. But… I just wanted to do it somewhere different. To keep the house, I don't know..." she frowned as she struggled to explain herself. Wording was usually her strong suit, probably because of Danno, but not today. "I want the house to feel safe," she settled lamely. It wasn't perfect, but Uncle Steve seemed to understand. He finished with the last bandage, dropped the wrapper in the can by the door, and offered her a hand.

"Dinner sound good?" he asked, changing the subject abruptly.

Grace nodded. As he pulled her up, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thanks," she murmured. "For everything."

"I'm always here for you, Grace," he assured her. "I know Danno has said it countless times, but we all love you. It's not just him. We're ohana- we're always here for you, whenever you need, whatever you need."

"I know," Grace said. "I love you, too, Uncle Steve." And with one final squeeze, she let go and they headed down to the kitchen.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- Sorry, it's been a while. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites! I've decided slow stories aren't my thing, so I've got 2 new ones in progress: a Danny whump and a Steve whump. Steve's will be done sooner, so it should be posted first. Question, though: I think I'd benefit from a beta, but never used one before. What's the best way to do that? Select randomly (well, limit it to a selection based on their preferences and then pick), or post on the beta forum? Recommendations?**

The two detectives arrived punctually at 10am the next morning. From her seat in Kono's office, Grace watched them walk to her uncle's office as a nervous ball rolled around in her stomach. The first one was older and taller, a native Hawaiian in appearance with short hair and a thin bit of scruff around his chin. The other was shorter, decidedly Asian, and clean-shaven. Both wore dark pants and aloha shirts with their badges clipped to their belts. Grace briefly hoped that perhaps they were here on a case for Five-0 and not here for her at all, but her hopes were dashed when her uncle caught her eye and gestured for her to come over.

As Grace stood, she barely heard Kono's parting words of comfort. She walked on numb feet across the bullpen to her uncle's office and didn't notice that her father had come alongside her until he slipped his large, warm hand over hers and gave it a quick squeeze. As Grace and her father approached, the tall man held out his hand.

"Ms. Williams-"

"Grace," she interrupted firmly. Danny had told her they would call her that. It felt so old. So… formal.

"Grace, I'm Detective Kaimuloa with HPD. This is my colleague, Detective Mike Seoul."

Grace shook their hands politely. "Hello."

The pair turned to her father, who was standing supportively nearby. "Good to see you again, Danny. I assume we'll be in your office?"

Danny shook his head. "No, actually you'll be using Steve's. We've got a meeting in my office to discuss developments on our latest case."

"I see." Frowning, Detective Kaimuloa addressed Grace: "You know that your father can be with you during the interview? In fact, given the nature of the incident-"

"It's fine," Grace interrupted again.

"If it's a problem, we can do the interview in a few hours. I'm afraid we can't wait any later than that, though. We were hoping to conduct the interview yesterday, but the pool manager told us you had left early."

"I'm sorry," Grace said, wide-eyed. "My boss told me I could leave."

Detective Kaimuloa smiled encouragingly. "That's what she told us. But if your father is available to sit with you in a few hours…"

Grace shook her head. "I'd rather do it now. He's nearby if I need him."

The two men exchanged a glance and the senior detective shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll get started. It's this one over here, right?" he asked, gesturing to Steve's office in the corner.

Grace walked ahead of them and held the door open as they entered. The two detectives sat on the small blue couch while Grace pulled Uncle Steve's rolling desk chair forward and sat in it. Looking past the couch, she saw that the blinds had been left open, and her father and uncle were watching from her father's office. Catching her eye, they quickly looked away. Grace almost smiled.

"So, Grace," Detective Kaimuloa began, folding his large hands over his knees, "have you ever been interviewed before?" He was clearly taking the lead in the interview as Detective Seoul sat back with a pad of paper and began to jot notes.

"No. But Danno explained how it worked."

"Ah. Did you practice last night?"

"No. I mean, we talked about introductions, but that was it. He said it wouldn't be proper procedure to do any more."

"Good for him," Kaimuloa nodded. He gestured to Det. Seoul, who had removed a small device from his bag and set it on the counter. "Do you know what this is?"

"It's a voice recorder."

"That's right. Do you understand that the interview will be recorded? Is that ok with you and your father?"

"Yeah, he told me last night."

"Ok, so in a minute, Detective Soul is going to start the recording and I'll ask you some basic questions. First, though, do _you_ have any questions before we begin?"

Grace shook her head. She just wanted to get this over with. Sensing a movement outside the window, she looked up again and saw that the team had moved to the smart table and were now reviewing their case on the large screen in the center of the room. She looked back at Det. Kaimuloa. "I'm ready."

…

"You know, you really need to get a more comfortable desk char."

"What?" Distracted, Danny turned away from the window where he had been watching Grace one office over and found his partner seated behind his desk.

"Your chair. It sucks."

"Okay, then sit somewhere else."

"Can't. Your daughter has commandeered my office."

"There are other chairs besides that chair, Steven! Here," and Danny grabbed the chair by the door and shoved it forward.

Steve wrinkled his nose. "No thank you."

"What's the problem?"

"It won't fit at the desk."

"That's my desk you're using now!"

"About that- you need to keep your drawers neater." Steve rummaged through the drawer on the left. "Where do you keep your pens?"

"Steven!" Danny placed both hands on his desk and glared at his partner until Steve made eye contact. "You are sitting in _my_ chair at _my_ desk in _my_ office, and now you are trying to steal one of _my_ pens. Do you know what all these things have in common?" He held up a hand as Steven opened his mouth to respond. "Do not speak; it is not your turn. Just listen. It's a rhetorical question. The answer- the obvious answer- is that they are all _mine_. They belong to me. _Me_. Not Chin, not Kono, and definitely not you. And I use these things to do work. But I can't do any work right now because _you_ are using _my_ things. Do you know what happens when I can't do work, Steven? Bad people do bad things and get away with it. Chaos and anarchy reign. The world devolves into a meaningless oblivion of violence. The islands become a- What?"

Steve had raised his hand like a small schoolchild. "Are you done ranting? Can I speak?"

Danny plunked onto the other chair with a resigned sigh. "Sure. By all means," he muttered, waving his permission.

"First, everything except the pens are technically not yours. It all technically belongs to the state of Hawaii and Five-0, and as your boss and the leader of Five-0, it technically belongs to me. But!" he quickly continued as Danny turned a dangerous shade of red, "I was actually sitting here because I'm doing paperwork while you conduct Operation Lifeguard and spy on your daughter. Which brings me to my question: how is she doing?"

Seeing that his partner was genuinely concerned about his daughter, Danny's anger deflated and he turned back to the window. Grace had folded her hands on her desk and looked very professional and calm on the outside, but Danny could see her knuckles turning white as she squeezed her fingers together. "She's holding up for now."

"Good. She'll be fine, D," Steve said with more confidence than he felt. He watched Danny's shoulders slump slightly. "Pull up a chair and grab a stack," he said, pushing a pile of paperwork forward. "Keep your mind off of things."

"Thankful for paperwork," Danny muttered, but he did as Steve suggested. "The world must be ending." Casting a final glance at the window, he sat down, opened the file on top, and began to work.

…

"So you saw the victim, Jason, jump off the diving board, and then you heard the other boy, Kai, scream from the opposite side of the pool deck?" Det. Kaimuloa looked up from his notes as Grace nodded in confirmation.

"What is the protocol for injuries that occur on the deck?" the other detective asked as he flipped to a new page in his notebook. "Was this area part of your 'zone' or duty?"

"Um, it depends," Grace said nervously. The truth was, there wasn't any official protocol- just a general idea that whoever was closest would alert someone in the office to handle any accidents that occurred on the pool deck. "If it's bad, then we would close the pool so we could deal with it. But usually it's just a stubbed toe or something, and whoever is closest will climb down to handle it."

"Who handled the incident with Kai?"

"Jamie. I think. I actually don't remember," Grace said, winding her fingers tightly back and forth in her lap.

"Where was Jamie stationed?"

"On the lifeguard stand in the shallow end. But she got someone from the office to come out and help."

"So the shallow end was technically not guarded for a few moments?"

Grace swallowed. "Yeah."

The man scribbled something in his notebook. Grace couldn't read his expression and wondered if he was pleased with her response, or if she had made a mistake. She glanced out the window to her father's office and began to wish that she had asked her father to be present after all. It looked like he was arguing with Uncle Steve- he was leaning across the desk and his face was red as he waved his hands in the taller man's face. Grace's mouth twitched in a smile and she relaxed, just a little bit.

"Let's go back to Jason," the first detective, Kaimuloa said. "How far down did he go?"

"All the way."

"Did he hit his head?"

"No, he touched the bottom with his hand. It's what all the boys do. They think it's cool."

Kaimuloa quirked an eyebrow. "But not the girls?"

Grace shook her head.

"At what point did you hear Kai scream? Before or after Jason touched the bottom of the pool?"

"After. Just after. I looked at Kai, and when I looked back at the deep end, I noticed the boy- Jason- hadn't come back to the surface. That's when I blew my whistle and jumped in."

"How long was he underwater before you noticed him?"

"It was only a few seconds."

Detective Kaimuloa wrote something in his notepad.

"I think," Grace added quietly.

The detective stopped writing. "You _think_ or you _know_?"

"I… I'm pretty sure it was only a few seconds."

The two detectives exchanged a glance and Detective Kaimuloa leaned forward. "Grace," he began kindly, "is it possible that you froze?"

The possibility had already crossed Grace's mind and it frightened her. _Just like in my nightmares_ , she thought.

"What was that?"

Grace started, unaware she had spoken aloud.

"Grace," Kaimuloa said, "are you experiencing nightmares?"

Grace nodded.

"About the incident?"

Grace shook her head. "They started before. Before he… before he… uh… " Her voice cracked and she stopped abruptly and looked with wide eyes out the window where the team had gathered around the table.

Detective Kaimuloa half turned in his seat and followed her gaze. "Grace," he said gently, "do you need to take a break?"

Grace shook her head and reached for one of the water bottles in her uncle's desk. "Just a drink," she said, managing to keep her voice steady. She unscrewed the bottle under the desk so that the detectives wouldn't see her shaking hands.

The detectives exchanged looks again and Seoul stood. "Well, I could do with a drink, too. Break room is over there, right?" he asked, gesturing to the far side of the bullpen. "I'll be back in a minute."

Grace followed the man with her eyes until Kaimuloa pulled her back by reaching across the desk to turn off the recorder.

"Grace," he began as he set his notepad aside and leaned forward in his seat, "off the record: what can you tell me about these nightmares?"

Grace eyed him distrustfully. "Are you going to tell my dad?"

"I can't promise that."

She studied him and finally came to a decision. "My dad was in an accident- a surfing accident- last year."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Detective Kaimuloa nodded sympathetically. "What happened?"

Grace took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "We were at the beach, surfing together. He's been practicing a lot and he's really good now. Usually Uncle Steve or Aunt Kono goes with us, but they couldn't that day, so it was just the two of us." Grace was surprised to find that it was easier, somehow, to talk to the Detective, whom she hardly knew, than to her father or her uncle. "One of the waves was a double- I forget what it's called, but it's like two waves together, with one cresting right behind the other. He wiped out."

The scene which had haunted her dreams for the past several weeks flashed before her eyes. She froze for a moment, clutching the water bottle so hard that her hands turned white and the thin plastic crunched under her fingers. Then she shook the images away and continued.

"I was right behind him when it happened. He was underwater and hit his head on something- I don't know if it was the surfboard or some of the coral on the bottom. There was blood in the water, and he was floating just above the coral. He just drifted back and forth along the bottom."

Detective Kaimuloa watched her carefully while he pulled out his phone and sent Det. Seoul a quick text to delay his return a little longer. He didn't want any unnecessary interruptions.

"I, uh… I tried to dive down to the bottom and pull him back up." Grace picked absently at the plastic wrapper around the water bottle. "I'm a good swimmer, but Danno's bigger than I am and the water kept pushing us back down and my leash for the board kept jerking my leg back and forth." She stopped again, her ears reddening.

"You couldn't pull him up," Detective Kaimuloa guessed.

Grace ducked her head. "I tried and tried, over and over again, but I kept running out of air and the stupid board was getting tossed around by the waves and-"

"But your dad is okay now," Detective Kaimuloa interrupted. Half turning in his seat, he pointed out the window where the team was gathered around the large central screen. "He looks alive and in one piece today. How did that happen?"

"Another surfer. Two, actually." She bit her lip as she remembered the man and his girlfriend who had so quickly swum out to her position and dove down to grab her father under the shoulders and haul him to the surface. "They brought him up and took him to shore and did CPR until the paramedics arrived." She remembered more, much more- she remembered the ambulance and the defibrillator and the IVs and the sand that was stained red with her father's blood- but her voice felt shaky so she sat quietly and tried not to look at the detective so that he wouldn't see the fear in her eyes.

For his part, Detective Kaimuloa noticed her reaction but didn't press her for more. Instead, he stood, stretched almost casually, and opened the door. "I need to find my partner before we continue and I wouldn't mind a bit of a break. Do you want anything to drink?"

Grace shook her head.

"You mind if I get a drink?"

She shook her head again.

With a kind smile, the detective pocketed the voice recorder and walked leisurely out of the commander's office. The team was still gathered around the smart table, with detective Seoul waiting just out of sight on the other side of the board. Gesturing for his partner to watch Grace, Kaimuloa nudged Danny as he passed. "Walk with me," he said quietly.

Shooting Steve a terrified look, Danny turned at once from the table and followed the detective down the hall toward the break room. "Okay, what did you say?" he demanded, rounding on the detective as soon as the door slipped closed behind them. "Is something wrong? Why does my daughter look like she's about to cry?"

"Relax, Danny," Detective Kaimuloa placated with raised hands. "Grace is almost done with the interview and I can already tell you that you don't need to worry about the outcome." Satisfied that the concerned father was listening, Detective Kaimuloa studied the vending machine in the corner as he continued. "We just had an interesting conversation that I thought you might want to know about."

Danny's shoulders relaxed slightly but his voice lost none of its worry. "Okay, and this conversation was about…?"

Detective Kaimuloa settled on a guava-flavored granola bar, pushed some money into the slot and popped the buttons A6. "How's she sleeping?"

"Fine," Danny said shortly. "Look, are you going to share with the class, or do I need to fetch Steve?"

The detective waved him toward the only table in the cramped space, which was scrunched against the wall with three mismatched chairs. "She says she's having nightmares."

Danny stared. "She admitted that to you?" he asked in shock. "Do you know how long it took for her to confide in me and Steve? And I'm her father!"

"Yes, well, sometimes children hide their pain from those they love." The older detective settled into a chair and unwrapped the granola bar. "Apparently it has something to do with your surfing accident last year."

"My surfing accident?" Danny asked nonplussed. "That was over a year ago." He sank into the other chair, his hands gesturing emptily as he tried to find the words to communicate. "Okay, why, _why_ wouldn't she tell me this? We've been trying to figure this out for weeks, I've spoken to her, Steve spoke to her, we tried to get her to talk to someone, but she's refusing. Hell, she wouldn't even talk to me about it. She's not eating well, not sleeping well, she's trying to hide it- wait, is this on record?" he asked suspiciously, leaving his rant mid-sentence.

Detective Kaimuloa chuckled. "No, this is off the record. And like I said, children sometimes hide their pain from those they love the most. I won't pretend to understand the psychology of it, but she hasn't been ignoring you. She's been listening and she wants help. The tough part is just admitting to her tough-as-nails father and his Navy SEAL partner that she needs help."

"Why? She knows she can tell me anything, okay? Always, anytime, anything. And hiding this away, playing tough, this isn't like her," Danny protested.

"Isn't it?" Detective Kaimuloa crumpled the wrapper as he finished and threw it neatly into the trash can. "She's a lot like her father who, from what I hear, is kind of a badass with a stubborn streak. Kids mimic their heroes. Grace, from what I can tell, is trying to act like her father." And with these parting words, the detective left Danny in the break room and returned to the office to finish the interview.

…

"Grace, I'm turning off the recorder because that concludes the official part of the interview, but I'd still like to ask you a few questions." Kaimuloa hit the button ending the recording and gestured for Detective Seoul to pack the small device away.

"Okay…?" Grace replied hesitantly.

"Has your dad ever been in a traumatic event? Aside from the surfing accident?"

Grace's eyes drifted away and she frowned in thought. "He was in a Colombian jail. And he was in a collapsed building, but that was several years ago."

"Tell me about the collapsed building. Your dad is claustrophobic, isn't he? How well did he deal with that?"

"Not well." She giggled slightly. "He drove Uncle Steve and me nuts for a while afterwards, and it was kind of funny except we were all really worried about him. But then Uncle Steve made him see a therapist."

"Was that good? Seeing the therapist, I mean. Did it help him?"

"Oh, yeah," Grace replied immediately. "He's even better now than he was before. He let Uncle Steve and I take him caving in the lava tubes on the Big Island a few months ago. He couldn't have done that before."

"What would have happened if he _hadn't_ gone to see the therapist?"

"I dunno. He'd be ranting more than normal I guess, especially when Uncle Steve makes him go into small, dark spaces. And he'd probably still have nightmares. But he doesn't know that _I_ know about those. It would wake me up, his screaming, but he wouldn't want me to worry, so don't tell him please?"

"Alright," Detective Kaimuloa agreed solemnly. "I won't tell him you know about his nightmares." Considering the weight of the rest of the conversation it was an easy promise to make. "So it's a good thing your Uncle Steve made Danno go to the therapist?" he continued.

Grace shrugged. "I guess so." She waited for more questions, but Detective Kaimuloa simply leaned back on the sofa and didn't say anything. The other detective, Seoul, having finished packing up the recorder and the notepads, quietly exited the office, leaving the two alone. From the bookshelf, Uncle Steve's small clock ticked softly forward. Still Grace waited, but it appeared that the detective seated across from her was done talking.

"I know what Danno wants," she said at length, "but… I'm… I guess I'm nervous. I've never talked to a shrink before," and she wrinkled her nose at the thought.

"Why do you call it a 'shrink'? Do the kids at school say that?"

"Yeah. Mostly Thomas. He made fun of Hannah last year when she went to a shrink."

"Are you worried he's going to tease you, too?"

"No. Well… maybe a little," she admitted reluctantly. "But Danno says I shouldn't care about what other people think. Just what he thinks. And Mom. And Step-Stan. And Uncle Steve."

Detective Kaimuloa chuckled. "But not Thomas?"

"No, definitely not Thomas." She grinned at him, the first real smile he had seen. "Thomas is an idiot."

"Well, that might be a bit harsh…"

"No, it's true!" she insisted. "And I _don't_ care what he thinks."

"Okay, so you don't care what he thinks. What does that mean for you?"

Grace met his gaze with confidence. "I'll do it."

"You'll do what?" the detective asked, wanting to be sure that he and the girl were on the same page.

"I'll talk to that therapist that Danno found. Well, Uncle Steve found him, but Danno is the one who wants me to talk to someone about the nightmares," she reasoned.

Detective Kaimuloa smiled. "I'm proud of you for making that decision, Grace. Are you going to tell your father about it?"

Grace cocked her head. "Are we done?" she asked in return.

"Yes."

"Then I'll tell him now." Squaring her shoulders in determination, she stood and left the office.

Detective Kaimuloa twisted around to watch out the office window as the teenager strode confidently across the Five-0 lobby and approached her father at the large table. Taking him by the hand, she directed him to his own office and shut the door but left the blinds open. The detective smiled as she saw her shoulders rise with a deep breath. Then she spoke for several moments while her father looked on with a growing smile. As she finished, Danny wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

Detective Kaimuloa allowed himself a small smile as he stood and stretched. "Well, my work here is done," he said to no one in particular. Entering the Five-0 common area, he found his partner with the other Five-0s around the large screen. "Commander, thanks for the use of your office," he said, offering his hand for one of McGarrett's infamous iron handshakes.

"Everything okay?" Commander McGarrett asked, tossing a concerned glance toward his partner's office where Danny was still in a tight embrace with his daughter.

"Danny will let you know. But yes, I believe everything is quite okay," Detective Kaimuloa said with a warm smile. Then to his own partner: "Mike, let's head out. We're done here."

 **A/N- that's all I have for this one. Not much of an ending, but I couldn't think of what to come after this. Possible epilogue if I think of something. In the meantime, need to set up the cat-fur-infused Christmas tree. ugh.**


End file.
